Cabinet



Jan. 2,' 1940.

L. MIDDLETON CABINET Fil ed April 18, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORN EY Jan. 1940- L. L. MIDDLETON 2,185,513

CABINET Filed April 18, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Jan. 2, 1940. L. MIDDLETON 2,185,513

CABINET Filed April 18, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I rH iil III III].

II III llllll lllll ll Patented Jan. 2, 1940 UNITED sTATEs ENT ;OFFICE CABINET"; l l

Lewis L. Middleton, Kansas flity, Mo. Application'April 18, 1933, Serial--No;- 202319 I This inve ntion relates to cabinets particularly adapted for recreation room's, small banquet hallsQa nd similar places for the storage and serviceof foods and beverages.

- '5 "The principal object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet of this character having the'appearance or an ordinary article of furni- -turefwhen not inuse, but which is adapted to be extended to form a bar for the convenient serv- I310 ice of various" forms of beverages, buffet lunches,

and the like.

' Other important objects of the invention are to provide the cabinet with various shelves and receptacles for storing the various articles and 915 accessories necessary in service of this character;

structed in accordance with the invention and showingthe service bar or counter extended to service position. I

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cabinet with '330 the'bar infolded position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical'section on the line 33 of Fig. 2 particularly illustrating the positions which the top of the service bar and hinge bracket members assume when in folded position.

3 35 Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cabinet when in useas abar. j

Fig. 5 is an underneath perspective view of portions of the service bar, particularly illustrating the mannerof supporting the bar top when '40 in operative position.

- Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the service bar, with the parts in position as shown in Fig.5. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing, the bar top and its sup-porting brackets in folded position. '45 Referring more .in detail to the drawings:

l designates a cabinet equipped with a service bar 2 that is foldable into the cabinetvfor giving the appearance of an ordinary article of furniture, as shown in Fig. 2, or extended to the :50 position as shown in Fig. 1 for the service of various beverages, bufiet lunches, and the like. i The cabinet I preferably conforms to the decorative scheme of the room in which, it is installed and includes side walls 3 and 4 having footing (g5 portions 5 and offset upper edges 6 and 6'. The

ig. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet conside walls 34 are connected by a bottom 7 located above the footing portions 5 and having its front edge inset inwardly from the lower front edges of the side walls. Also connecting the side Walls and having a portion of its endsrest-ifi ing up'on'the offsetfi is a table top 9 having a forwardprojxacting edge Ill-to provide a working space I I of sufficient size for the convenient preparation of the various foods, drinks or the like, to be served on the bar portion, later de-- scribed; p p

A top member I2 is mounted onthe upper edges 6 of the sidewallsand connects with a rear wall 13 that is' suitably connected with the side walls and bottom I to form upper and lower storage 15 compartments 14' and 15. The lower storage compartment I5 is divided by a partition IE to cooperate with the side wall 4 in supporting spaced shelves 11, I8 and I9 and with the side wall 3 to support drawer slides 23. The shelves-":2. IT, IS and I9 are suitably spaced to accommo datethe various articles to be stored thereon" and the front edges thereof substantially align vritl'i the forward edge of the bottom I.

Supported on the drawer slides are drawers :2 2|, 22 and23 having the front faces thereof aligning with the edges of the shelves and provided with suitable pulls 24. One of the drawers, for example, the upper drawer 2|, is preferably lined with insulating' material 26 -.for'adapting it to;,;. receive refrigerants, such as ice cubes. The under side of the table top directly over the drawer is also lined with insulation. 21 to completely insulate the drawer compartment and retard melting of the ice. A horizontal rail 28 may be at-w tached to the'end walls and partition IE to anchoringly support the top where it bridges the lower compartment. The upper compartment I 4' is provided with an uppershelf 29 thatextends entirely from one end thereof to the otherflfll and a shelf 30 which extendsfrom the wall 3 to a point substantially midway of the compartment. The-shelves at oneside of thecompartment are thus spaced to accommodate glasses and similar small accessories, while the opposite side has sufficient space to accommodate bottles and taller accessories.

Extending across the top of the table is a rail 3! cooperating with a'divis-ion panel 32 and with the top I2 informing door openings that are normally closed by doors 33 and 34 which are preferably hinged to the side Walls 3 and and provided with looks or latches 35 and 36" adapted to engage with keepers 31 attached to *theadjacent side edges of the panel 32.

" side 4.

' The service bar 2 includes a vertical panel 38 having feet 39 conforming in shape to the foot portions 5 of the side walls. The panel 38 is of suificient length and height to completely close the front of the lower compartment so that the beverages in the manner of abar. -The length of the counter top is less than that of the panel so that when the panel is swung to. substantially right angles with the cabinet and the .top raised, the end thereof adjacent the hinge side of'the panel is in position to abut the front edge of the table top 9, and the upper surface thereof lies in the same plane as the surface II, as shown in Fig. 1'. The counter top is connected with the panel so that when it is in theposition illustrated in Fig. l the front edge thereof is supported upon the upper edge of the'panel 38 and the front face thereof aligns with the front face of the panel.

In order to connect the counter top with the panel, the lower face of the counter top is provided with spaced blocks 41 that are fixed thereto in spaced relation with the forward edge there- 'of toaccommodate the edge of the front panel and secured to the blocks and to the adjacent face of the front panel are hinges having leaves 48 secured to the 'blocks, and leaves 49- attached to the panel 38 as best shown in Fig. 5. The hinges are thus located so that when the counter top isin folded position, illustrated in Fig. '7, it is spaced from the inner face of the front panel to accommodate supporting brackets 50 that have inner edges 5| secured to the inner face of thepanel 38- by hinges 5-2 and which have upper edges 53 adapted to supportingly engage the under face 54 of the counter top when the coun' ter top is lifted to horizontal position and the brackets are swung laterally on their hinges as shown in Fig. 5. To more securely fix the table top in horizontal position the under face 5t there-' of carriesoppositely disposed wedges 55 which are located: in position for engaging the edges 53. of the bracketswhen they are swung to top support:- ing position. 7

Assuming the cabinet to be constructed as described, and installed along the wall of a room so that the side 4 thereof is. spaced from an adjacent wall or other obstruction,v its operation is as fol lows:

The shelves of the various compartments and the drawers are stocked with the necessary articles of service, food stuffs, and beverages necessary in preparing various drinks to be served, the ice being placed in the insulated drawer 2|. When the doors 33 and 34 are closed and the counter top collapsed with the panel 38 swung to closed position the articles. of service are concealed and the cabinet has the-appearance of an ordinary piece of furniture" conforming to the decorative effects of the room in which it is in-' stalled. When it is desired to extend the bar, the handle 44 is grasped to swing the panel out wardly on its hinges 43' into alignment with the The counter top $5 is, then lifted so that the end. thereof swings past the forward end of the table top'v I IL, The brackets 50 are. then swung on their hinges so that the edges 53 thereof ride upon the inclined surfaces of the wedges 55 to frictionally retain the brackets in extended position and prevent play in the counter top 45. The shelved storage and drawer spaces in the lower 5 portion of the cabinet are thus exposed and in convenient reach of the attendant, the attendant standing in the angle between the table and bar tops and serving the guests across the bar.

r I To close the bar the brackets 50 are swung in- 10, wardly toward each other against thetinner face of the panel 38 and the top lowered to the positicn shown in Fig. 7 s The counter top then drops l I to the position over the brackets in parallel relai,

. tion with the panel 38 so that the panel 38 may 15 be swung to. position, closing the lower compart-v ment of the cabinet. From the foregoing it is apparent that I have provided a cabinet which may be constructed 5 to conform to the decorative effects of a room in 20 which-it is installed so that it is not objectionably conspicuous as a bar, but which may be Q readily extended to provide bar service when occasion demands,

What I claim and desire to'secure by Letters '25 5 Patent is; v 1. A cabinet including. a storage compartment H having an op-en'front and a table top projecting over opening, a foldable bar including a i front panel closing said opening, means-hinging i one end of the panel on the cabinet at one side of said opening, a counter top, spacing'blocks fixed to the under side of said counter top, hinges connecting the spacing blocks. with said-panel whereby the counter top, is adapted to be swung 5 into a horizontal position with an edge thereof. overlapping the upper edge of. the panel, and

brackets normally retained in the space afforded I by the spacing blocks and adaptedv-to be moved into supporting relation Withthe counter top-, ,4

whereby the counter top cooperates with said table top when the panel is swung from covering relation with said opening to form a bar.

I A cabinet including a storage compartment having an open front and a table top projecting over. said opening, a foldable bar including a front panel closing said opening, means hinging one end of the panel to the cabinet atone, side of said opening, a counter top, spacingblocks fixed to the under side of said counter top, hinge means j5o connecting the spacing blocks with said. panel whereby the counter top is adapted to be moved to a horizontal position with an edgethereof overlapping the upper edge of the panel, and

counter top supporting brackets hinged to the '7 panel and normally retained in the space afforded by the spacing blocks. 7 i

3. A cabinet including a storage compartment having an open front and a table top projecting over said opening, a foldable bar includinga front 0 panel closing said opening, means hinging' one end of the panel to thecabinet at one side ofsaid opening, a counter top, spacing blocks fixed to the under side of said counter top, hinge means connecting the spacing blocks with said panel whereby the counter top is adapted to be moved into a horizontal position with an edge thereof overlapping the upper edge of the panel, and counter. top supportingbrackets hinged to the panel and normally retained between the table top and said: panel in the space afforded by the spacing blocks and adapted to be swung, into supporting relation with the counter top so that the counter top forms a conti n uationv of said table 4. In a cabinet of the character described, con- I nected bottom, side and table top members forming a compartment, the table top member extending forwardly beyond front edges of the side members and forming a working area, a panel movably mounted on one of the side members,

table top member, upon moving the panel away from the other side member, to increase the size of said working area, said counter top being of sufliciently less length than the panel to substantially abut and align with a portion of the edge of theltable top member when the panel and counter top are moved relative to the compartment and panel respectively. and a counter top mounted on the panel movable 10 into coplanar relation to the working area of the LEWIS L. MIDDLETON. 10 

